To boldly go...

William Shatner to perform Ponder the Mystery live at The Canyon

Shatner. The name births a storm of thought, emotion and memories. The Star Trek Shatner is bold, commanding and memorable; the Twilight Zone Shatner is thought provoking and intriguing; the musical Shatner, well, that’s a whole new bag.

William Shatner has made a name for himself as the jack-of-all-trades actor, writer and musician with an unpredictability that has surprised audiences for decades. At The Canyon in Agoura Hills, he’ll bring that presence to the stage for an intimate performance.

William Shatner was a familiar face to television and film fans of the 1960s, appearing everywhere from Alfred Hitchcock Presents to a Yul Brynner-headed adaptation of The Brothers Karamazov. It wasn’t until his role as Captain James T. Kirk aboard the Starship Enterprise that he became a household name. Star Trek changed the face of television, quite literally, with a multiracial cast and a heavy science-fiction plot.

Over time, with Star Trek rocketing his fame through the atmosphere, Shatner began to explore his musical side. In 1968, he released an experimental album, The Transformed Man, on which his covers of The Beatles’ “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds” and Bob Dylan’s folk hit “Mr. Tambourine Man,” echoed an artistic loneliness, made sullen by his spoken-word adaptation. In 1978, with his performance of Elton John’s “Rocket Man” at the Saturn Awards, Shatner cemented himself into the annals of musical history.

A long spate of collaborations and film appearances saw Shatner singing on several soundtracks and as himself in parody videos until 2002, when, in collaboration with Ben Folds, Shatner rekindled his musical career.

Has Been brought Shatner’s spoken-word performance back front and center, with accompaniments better suited to his mellow, insightful iterations. A cover of the pop-band Pulp’s “Common People” surprised audiences with a powerful, emotionally raw Shatner, while “It Hasn’t Happened Yet” showed us his troubling inner thoughts; “What Have You Done” recalls the tragedy surrounding his late wife Nerine Kidd-Shatner.

In between then and now, as if a gremlin on the very soul of Mr. Shatner, a nagging call to his musical prowess has kept him from retiring completely from the scene. Appearing on several talk shows as himself and in television (such as NBC’s Sh!t My Dad Says), Shatner has found a way to worm a song or two into the productions.

In 2011, Shatner collaborated with Zakk Wylde, Peter Frampton and John Wetton (King Crimson) for Seeking Major Tom, an album inspired by space with covers of Pink Floyd’s “Learning to Fly” and David Bowie’s “Space Oddity.”

Which brings us to today, when Mr. Shatner will perform tracks from his new album, Ponder the Mystery, a prog-rock-inspired album featuring collaborations with Billy Sherwood (Yes), Mick Jones (Foreigner) and country singer Vince Gil. His backing band, Circa, features both Billy Sherwood and Tony Kaye, both members of Yes.

Will his performance at The Canyon echo the “Rocket Man” performance of the 1970s that left an imprint of awe and mystery on the collective psyche? Perhaps the answer lies in the stars.